Subject: How long must Israelbe allowed
to remain above international law?

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Feb. 19, 2006

The Editor,

The Toronto Star.

Dear
Editor:

Thank you
for your publishing the excellent article,titled :{" If Hamas
must renounce violence, so should Israel." by Linda McQuaig,
Feb. 19}

Ms. McQuaig article correctly points out the hypocrisy and
double standards practiced by our politicians and media who call on Hamas to recogniseIsrael and renounce violence.

The
question that must be asked, which Israel is Hamas
required to recognise?Israel, since its inception, has refused
to define its borders and its leaders spoke of and effected
an expansionist program, built on a series of aggressive wars against its neighbours. Israel was not content with the disproportionist deal it was offered in the UNGA resolution # 181, of Nov.
29, 1947, effected under US pressure, apportioning to the Jewish
state 56% of Palestine, when the Jews in Palestine constituted 31% of the population
and owned exactly 5.6% of the land. Yet Israel proceeded to take over about half
of the portion apportioned to the Arab state, ending up, in 1949, with the
control of 78% of Palestine, under an Armistice agreement.

Yet this , clearly was not enough. Ben Gurion,
Israel's first prime minister stated :
" To maintain the status quo will
not do. we have to set up a dynamic state bent upon
expansion" ["Rebirth and Destiny of Israel", The
Philosophical Press, New York., 1954, p.419.]

And wars of
aggresion and expansionism proceeded in 1956,
1967, 1978 and 1982.

As she
rightly says, why no call is being made for Israel to terminate its illegal occupation of Palestinian
land that has been allowed to stand for over 38 years, in defiance of
international law and repeated Security council resolutions? Why is there no
call on Israel to put an end to its
practices, under this illegal occupation, including extra-judicial assasination, torture, humiliation, collective punishments,
demolition of thousands of homes and expropriation of property for the creation
of illegal Jewsh settlements? All these actions are
in violation of virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and thus defined, by
international law, as war crimes.